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Drulug
'Drulug '(DROO-lug) General Information Government: The Council of Khans Faiths: Eran, Wuuluth Capitol: Gurog Population Density: Moderate Races: Goblins, Hobgoblins, Bugbears, Orcs, Trolls, Humans Exports: Slaves, Furs, Fine Tack and Harness Imports: Weapons, Armor, Iron Ore History The country known as Drulug is the home and seat of the goblin peoples. Goblin myth centralizes that the goblin was the first of the goblin peoples to arise, brewed from the cauldron of Wuuluth himself to come into the world. Seeing the weaknesses of his favored race, Wuuluth also created the bugbears to be the strength of the goblins and the hobgoblins to bring them all under a strong and disciplined rule. The hobgoblin version is slightly different, citing that Eran, the first of the hobgoblins, was the sire of the race though in actuality, the goblins themselves are in fact correct and Eran was the progenitor of the hobgoblin sub-race who was created by Wuuluth. However, instead of each of the goblin peoples cooperating like Wuuluth and Eran wanted, they fell to fighting amongst themselves over who was the chosen and dominant race as well with the nearby orcs who Wuuluth and Eran took to be rivals. This would eventually led to their conquest. Centuries ago, much of the northern lands, including Drulug, was a part of the ancient empire of Gronth which is ruled by the giants. This ancient empire spanned an area including modern day Tarfolos, Guromaaz, Drulug, Kruskur, Ysven, and part of the Smeltgar Wastes. The goblins, along with the orcs and eventually the trolls, were part of Gronth’s massive force of slaves which they employed for both labor and war. The giant’s days of glory came crashing to an end, however, when the goblinoids, orcs, and trolls formed a pact and rebelled against their decadent masters. Eventually, when the war was over, each race allotted themselves a piece of territory to own and so Drulug, Kruskur, and Guromaaz were born. With their new found freedom, however, the goblins once again fell into the unfinished infighting until the clear eventual outcome, planned by Wuluuth ages ago, came to pass and the hobgoblins took the lead of the race. Over the next years, goblin culture began to evolve drastically as the hobgoblins forcibly made all three races meld together to coexist. Goblins generally hold the largest population percentage and formed the bulk of the way of life by continuing with the shamanistic teachings of their patron, Wuuluth. They also formed the bulk of the shamans and craftsmen in essence becoming the backbone of the race just as intended. The hobgoblins mastered the art of warfare and through their leadership position, gradually spread the power of Eran’s worship elevating him in power drastically. The hobgoblins were the rulers, elite warriors and the mind and soul of their race while the bugbears became the muscle that helped support the other two. The hobgoblins, with their new found power, began a war of conquest against their neighbors, seizing large portions of land to the east, west and south. And it was during this time, that the individual leaders of tribes began to call themselves khans and so the modern system of governance came to be. Since then, sanctioned infighting amongst the khans have allowed their largest rivals, the orcs to seize back much of what they lost during Drulug’s expansion years while Guromaaz was still sorting out their own problems. Since then, the two races intermittently trade and war with one another much like they did ages ago since their deities first made war upon one another. The similarities in the two peoples tend to keep the wars short, but brutal and fairly inconclusive. Society Life in Drulug is a harsh affair. The land is high, cold, wild and unforgiving to the weak. The goblins have learned to live with the land around them to a large extent and have a highly mobile life style. Hobgoblin warriors pride themselves on their abilities in the saddle and with their bows. They are, perhaps, the best riders in the world. Since horses cannot handle the terrain or climate as well, the goblins of Drulug have tamed and trained caribou, elk, moose and rams to do the normal work of horses and oxen for their people. The hobgoblins claim that it was Eran who taught them how to train such unconventional mounts and warriors who earn themselves a mount consider it as a mark of pride. Some of the best saddles and tack work are exported from craftsmen in Drulug. Excessive mining is generally not an accepted practice in Drulug. The shamans insist it violates the natural world by exceeding their needs. For this reason, high quality weapons and ore are things that the clans typically trade furs, slaves and high quality leather goods such as harness and tack to other races for. Occasionally, the desire for a khan to own better weapons will go so far as for him to sell his clans services to a foreigner to better equip his warriors. The goblins also pride themselves on their mastery over shamanistic pursuits stemming from the influence of their creator, Wuuluth. Goblin shamans are the seers, healers, and casters of their society. As a true goblin, the highest honors you can receive in society are that of a shaman or an elite warrior as the hobgoblin commanders see the value in their brethren’s smaller size as a useful quality in scouts and skirmishers. Such goblin warriors are known to emulate animals of various kinds and to poison their weapons which will make it easier for their stronger bugbear and hobgoblin brethren to best the foe. Goblin shaman commonly commune with winter wolves, worgs, displacer beasts and other typically neutral or evil magical beasts who see in the goblins a potential ally in a world that rarely accepts them. It is not uncommon for such creatures to live side-by-side in any given village or tribe within the clans. Goblin sorcerors usually tie their magical prowess to some such creatures, claiming that Wuuluth has blessed them with the heritage. There is very little, if any, separation of church and state in goblin affairs. On rare occasions, a goblin might actually achieve the title of Khan over a hobgoblin, though this is rare. The society in general accepts that the hobgoblins are the best fit to rule and only the most aggressive of shamans would suggest that it is otherwise since it was the will of Wuuluth, after all. Very commonly the head shaman accompanies his Khan to the khan meets and a shaman’s voice is normally only secondary to a chief’s or khan’s though often there is compromise between the two when a particularly difficult decision is to be made. The individual khans have seen the value of a united front for threatening enemies and over the years of sanctioned wars and controlled bickering, several clans now currently divide the control of Drulug: Ing-Khan, Dao-Khan, Nak-Khan, Gu-Khan, Kur-Khan, Su-Khan, and the Ur-Khan. The Ur-Khan lands and rulership always falls to the strongest of the Khans and it is he who sits as the overriding leadership figure at Khan meets. The Khans of each clan meet in the capitol city of Gurog every quarter year regardless and any of the leading Khans may call a meeting for various reasons - usually over territorial disputes or perceived insults which are handled in governed war and combat. The combat is held on a ground agreed upon by all the Khans present at the meeting to settle the grievance at which each Khan states how many men they intend to bring to the fight to a point until the Ur-Khan agrees that the combat is fair. Combatants tend to try for lower numbers committed in order to firstly raise their standing by gaining victories with fewer men and secondly to minimize casualties to the race as a whole during the affair. The combat is observed by a clan which all the Khans agree have the least to concern themselves with in the affair and are therefore more neutral in the affair. This clan is responsible to reporting the truth of the victor to the meet. Combat in Gurog is considered taboo to all the clans as it was named as a neutral site and in goblin lore is seen as sacred - it being believed that it was where Wuuluth brought the first goblins into the world. The only exception is when the Ur-Khan declares that two disputing khans solve their own personal disputes - which occasionally occurs during meets - on the spot so as to keep proceedings going. In this instance, the shamans present under the supervision of the eldest of them consecrate the ground that the Khans are to fight on so as not to anger Wuuluth. Such combats are generally to first blood with only the most severe insults being allowed to go to as far as death combats. Typically, Khans only fall in battle rather than through disputes or with foreign powers, though another warrior in the clan who manages to defeat them in which cases many khans typically fight to the death to keep their position challenges are rare unless the khan has very little support from his clan or the other warrior is seen to be clearly of even skill or esteem, or through old age. Ur Khans are voted into the office by the other khans in which no khan may vote for himself. To be caught doing so is a bold offense that usually results in execution for it dishonors the khan’s clan and people. Another little observed law in the recent years is that if any one clan becomes a danger to the others or forsakes the field in the face of a potential threat to all the clans that the meet may call for a culling of that clan for failing the race. In this instance, all the clans mobilize their strength to eradicate the offending clan for jeopardizing the whole. In the mind of the goblins, this is like removing a potentially fatal cancer from the race. The taking of slaves is not an uncommon practice among the clans. It is not unheard of for a warrior who is captured in battle with another clan to become a slave in the new clan. In this instance, such a warrior could eventually be allowed if found worthy to join the ranks of warriors in his new clan as part of that clan. Many of the clans are well known to make passage south the less defended frontiers of Kruskur and risk battle with villages or tribes of trolls in an effort to seize their young so that they may enslave them as warriors. For some clans, it is considered a mark of their strength when they have many enslaved trolls fighting for their cause. Human prisoners from Ysven and Rygild as well as orcish slaves taken from conflicts with Guromaaz are also not uncommon sights in the clans. Typically, such slaves are actually treated reasonably well as they are seen as valuable property. Some clans actively encourage their slaves to mingle and breed to save them the trouble of going out and fighting for more. Slaves generally handle bulk work or grunt work either in battle or day-to-day affairs. As long as a slave does not openly rebel or attempt to exceed their station they are treated well enough.